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Northwestern University released an independent report on athletics accountability and culture Thursday, which reviewed “the processes and accountability mechanisms in place at the University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletics programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind.”
The report described the results of the review as “largely positive” but also noted room for improvement. The review was conducted over the past 11 months by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and was led by former U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch, according to a Northwestern press release. It comes almost a year after the university fired two coaches over allegations of hazing, bullying and harassment within the athletics department. The hazing was uncovered by an external investigation and reportedly occurred on the university’s football team, where upperclassmen forced younger teammates to undergo sexualized and degrading rituals at the team’s Wisconsin training facility as well as in the Northwestern locker room. At least three former Northwestern student athletes filed lawsuits against the university as a result.
The law firm’s team reviewed the university’s and its athletics department’s “policies and reporting procedures, training and education materials, and student-athlete feedback gathered through annual experience surveys and exit interviews,” according to the executive summary of the report. The firm’s representatives spent multiple days on campus meeting with members of the Northwestern community and touring relevant facilities. They interviewed more than 120 people, including students (athletes and nonathletes), athletics department leadership and staff, coaches and team staff, university administrators, faculty members, and trustees, the summary said.
The report included several recommendations the reviewers said “would improve the ability of Northwestern’s existing reporting and accountability mechanisms to detect threats to student-athlete well-being and would further align Athletics culture with the University’s broader mission.”
The recommendations include improving relations between faculty and the athletics department, clarifying the mandate and responsibilities of the Committee on Athletics and Recreation—which is comprised of faculty members—and improving responsiveness and accountability for reported misconduct within the athletics department.
“While our recommendations are focused on the areas in which we believe improvement can and should be made, the results of our review have been largely positive,” the report says. “We have observed a commitment by the University and Athletics Department to the well- being of their student athletes. It is unsurprising, in light of that commitment, that so many of the student-athletes who participated in our review expressed great appreciation for the resources made available to them at Northwestern, and generally spoke highly of their college athletic experience there.”
